Pushes Aja’s scares into the realm of the psychological and spiritual

In some horror sects, Alexandra Aja is held in extremely high regard as redefining the genre. After the gory and intense High Tension and The Hills Have Eyes, horror fans were on pins and needles awaiting the master of gore’s next move. Mirrors, while retaining Aja’s incredible visual sensibilities, pushes Aja’s scares into the realm of the psychological and spiritual. While the script itself is hit and miss, and fans might be disappointed by the lack of sheer, unrelenting gore, one has to be impressed by Aja’s willingness to experiment with another niche within the genre.

A former detective turned night watchman, Ben (Keifer Sutherland), has been assigned the duty of guarding an old, New York City department store. After being closed down from a fire that murdered hundreds, The Mayflower is a ghostly place, where the ominous mirrors seem to reflect more than initially meets the eye. As Ben explores this phenomenon, he finds a being inside that threatens the safety of his family, and it will stop at nothing until it has been pacified.

The production value for Mirrors is huge. Aja’s goal was to try and make the modern day equivalent to the Overlook Hotel from The Shining, and his Mayflower is a massively impressive, and horrifically creepy set design. Also seamlessly blended are Aja’s mix of supernatural and his trademark gore. Nerves are high as Sutherland plods through the uneasy haunted house of mirrors, and no one will ever forget the grizzly death that awaits Amy Smart’s Angela.

However where this production stumbles is in its writing. At times Mirrors feels far too much like other Asian horror remakes, especially with its vengeful ghost/mystery thruline. Also the final note will certainly make some viewers cringe.

Fox Home Entertainment has done a nice job with the high definition transfer. Aja’s gorgeous film looks masterful on Blu-ray, and there are a few informative special features too. Reflections, a retrospective on the making of the film, offers some great production insight. Also included are some intensely creepy extensions of scenes from the film. While it is far from reflecting a perfect film, Aja’s Mirrors is a ghostly good time that is certainly worth looking into.

Director: Alexandre Aja
Actors: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart, Cameron Boyce, Erica Gluck
Release Date: January 13, 2009
Rating: 7/10